Improvement in water-wheels



dilated wm WlLLIAM s. PLACE, orv CHARLESTON, tinturav 'Laim Patent No, 106,958, daad August 3o, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to these LetterePatent and making part o! the same.

To all whom it' may concern Beit known that I, WILLIAM S. PLACE, of Charleston, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented a'new and valuable Improvement Ain '1`urbines; and I do hereby declare that the following -is a full, clear, and exact descriptionot' the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing making a part of this specification, and-to the letters and. tigures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the `drawing is a representation of a top xview of my inventien, with the upper plate removed;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Figure 3 is aside view.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the wheel.

lFigure 5 is a diagram, showing the manner of shaping-the buckets, A

My invent-ion relates to turbines, and consists in the formation and angular position ot' the buckets, in-

hlling up the interior angularl corners of the case, -wheretlie plates thereof join in t-he scroll, and in the perforated foot of the shaft, whereby the same is prevented from` becoming unduly heated.

- 'T he letter A of Athe drawing designates the case of the turbine, consisting of the plates C C, and curved wall or'scroll B.

'lhe inner wall of thescroll- B is curved, at its .up- 'pexfand lowei edges, in` such a manner as to till up the dead angles ati a a, in the interior of the case', thus forcing the current tc the center, whereit' can act to greatest advantage on the ends of the buckets. At the saine time I do not usually ll up the dead angles for more than two-thirds of the circumference, in order to give room for the water to settle in reacting, after its direct force is spent.

The curved plate which' tills the dead angle isallowed to become gradually less and less inclined until it merges into the perpendicular wall of the scroll.

' D represents the curved gate, corresponding in its bend to theform of the exterior wall of the scroll B, and provided with a ratchet, b, attached to its outer surface, and engaging with the operating pinion, c.

Ilhe gate D slides upon the curved scroll-wall, and between the latter and the short wall d of the fore-4 bay.

H H are t-he shroudings of the turbine, the upper one being entire, and the lower plate annular, as shown.

K K represent the buckets, curved inward from the circumference of the wheel, the line of curvature, l, of each bucket being an arc of a circlejsmaller than the circumference of the wheel. This line Zmarks the division between the upper and lower halves, k,

'of the bucket, whichare inclined to each other'at an angle of ninety degrees. t

lhe chief force ofthe water is directly concentrated on the central line of the bucket, while its reflected action is from each wing-of the bucket against the other, after which theweightof the water reacts 'upon the lower wing of the bucket.

The'patterns of -my buckets are thus designed:

An annular disk, of the size of the wheel, is divided intc six equal parts. The breadth ot' the annular 'plate depends upon the distance between the shroudings ot' the wheel. ,The buckets arefrmed from the annular plate by gi\'iii,f:, "'tlie sides the proper curve, cach section consist-ing of a triangular plate, having two convex and one concave, sides. The concave side is formed bysthe, inner curve of the annular plate, and constitutes the .line l, along which the wings are joined to form the entire bucket.

Inorder to prevent the heating of the foot or journal of the shaft L, it is perforated at e, and so arranged that acurrentof water shall flow throughthe opening, thus keeping the journal and its bearings valways moist and cool.

When the slide-gate is partially closed, a comparatively small quantity of water will act with great powerupon the ends of the buckets. This is effected -by the formation of the bucket an'd the case, whereby the force ofthe current is concentrated upon the ceuter and end ot' each bucket.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The curved. buckets K, consisting of' the two wings 7c, at right angles with each other, in combination with the shroudings m n, all constructed, arranged andcperated as set forth.

2. The caseA, having its interior angles fitted up to a tapered p'oint, for the purpose of guiding the current to 'the center and point ofthe bucket, as specitied. -Iu testimony that vI claimv the above, I have hereunto subscribed my'name in the presence of' two wit- DSSGS.

WILLIAM s. PLAGE.

Witnesses:

J. PAGE, A. S. PAGE. 

